MH’s buyer’s guide: fragrances

Men’s Health’s Online Grooming Editor tells you everything you need to know about buying fragrances. How to save money, how to pick the right scent for your skin, how to make your eau de toilette last  and much more.

Understand your strengths

Theres much confusion over the various different fragrance strengths, so for the record it goes like this: after pure perfume, eau de parfum (a strength that can apply to male fragrances as well as female ones) is the strongest, containing between 8-15% pure fragrance, followed by eau de toilette (4-8%), eau de cologne (2-5%) and, finally, aftershave  which typically contains just 1-3% pure fragrance. Because of the higher perfume content, eau de toilette will tend to have better staying power on the skin than aftershave, typically lasting for 6-8 hours, depending on your skin type.

Hit the right note

Most modern mens fragrances are composed of a series of fragrance notes (fragrance ingredients) that combine together to create a bigger picture. Top notes are the ones you smell first and are often zingy, fresh-smelling citrus ones. They can last just a matter of minutes before the middle (or heart) notes emerge. These are followed by the appearance of base notes which can appear an hour or more later. These are the rich, heavier ingredients that have more staying power and are similar to the finish in a good glass of red wine. Its these you smell hours after applying and are the ones you have to live with.

Try before you buy

Its all very well smelling something on someone else or hearing that a particular fragrance smells fantastic on your sisters boyfriend, but chances are itll smell totally different on you. Thats because each of us has a unique skin chemistry. Your skin type can affect things too. Fragrances tend to last longer and come across as more intense on oilier skin, for example.

Choose your moment

If youre braving a department store to look for a new fragrance try shopping in the morning. Not only are your senses sharper, the air in the store wont be full of other fragrances, which will make the process easier. Use the blotter cards to narrow down your selection but once you find a couple of fragrances you like try them out on your skin. Then give each fragrance an hour or more to dry down  this will allow it to mature and develop on your skin. If possible go outside to see how it smells away from the fragrance-filled air of the store. Only then think about buying.

Skip the aftershave

Aftershave sales have declined dramatically over the past 20 years as more and more men have discovered soothing balms and moisturisers. Others have simply twigged that its not great value for money (it doesnt last as long as eau de toilette, remember) and is less convenient to apply. Theres also the unfortunate truth that anything that stings your face probably isnt doing it much good. Alcohol, a large component of aftershaves, is known to dry out skin and can be an irritant  so never put it onto freshly shaved skin. If youre looking for a fragrance to freshen up with, but not one thats too strong  something to wear after the gym, for example, or in the summer  youre better off buying a fresh and light eau de cologne.

Treat it nice

Prolonged exposure to strong sunlight or extremes in temperature can disturb the delicate balance of a fragrance and change its scent, so to ensure yours doesnt spoil always keep it in a cool, dry place (bathrooms arent great) and out of direct sunlight. If possible, keep it in its original box. Fragrances have no set shelf life because ingredients vary hugely but, if opened, most will last for around two years and, if unopened and stored correctly, they can last for up to five years.

MH recommends...

Chanel Allure Homme Sport, £40.87 for 50ml eau de toilette from debenhams.com . MH readers have given this more awards than Robbie has Brits. And no wonder  its a fantastically invigorating, cirtussy and wearable scent thats as good for work as it is for play.

Paco Rabanne 1 Million, £34 for 50 ml eau de toilette from theperfumeshop.com . The Perfume Shops best-selling mens fragrance, this distinctly Noughties fragrance isnt the most original scent on the market but is fantastically popular so is definitely doing something right. Fresh at first; warm, spicy and sexy as it dries down.

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